Apparatus for dividing a stream of copies of folded newspapers, periodicals or othersimilar commodities continuously following one another in succession



3,313,222 I LDED F. GUBELI Aprifl 11, 1967 APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING A STREAM OF COPIES OF F0 NEWSPAPERS, PERIODICALS OR OTHER SIMILAR COMMODITIES CONTINUOUSLY FOLLOWING ONE'ANOTHER IN SUCCESSION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1964 April 11, 1957 UB 1 3,313,221

APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING A STREAM OF COPIES OF FOLDED NEWSPAPERS, PERIODICALS OR OTHER SIMILAR COMMODITIES OONTINUOUSLY FOLLOWING ONE ANOTHER IN SUCGESSION Filed June 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

United States Patent 3,313,221 AllARATUS FQR DlVlDiNG A STREAM 0F COPIES 0F FOLDED NEWSPAlERS, PERI- ODICALS (BR OTHER SIMHJAR COMB/i931- TIES CONTINUGUSLY FOLLOWING DNE ANGTHER IN SUCCESSIGN Ferdinand Giiheli, Hinwil, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Ferag, Fehr & Reist AG., Zurich, Switzerland Filed June 24, 1964, Ser. No. 377,767 Claims priority, application Switzerland, June 26, 1%3, 7,926/ 63 16 Claims. (Cl. 93-93) The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for efiiciently and reliably dividing a stream of commodities which continuously follow one another in succession, particularly copies of folded newspapers, periodicals and the like.

It will be appreciated that folded newspapers, periodicals and the like coming out of a printing machine or folding machine in a continuously moving stream must be transformed into counted groups for further distribution. This is effected in known manner by means of an apparatus using a counter for counting the copies and after reaching a count corresponding to a predetermined number of copies it delivers a control pulse.

The present invention has for one of its primary objects to provide improvements with respect to apparatus of such type.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for reliably and efficiently subdividing a stream of commodities, particularly a stream of copies of folded newspapers, periodicals or the like which continuously follow one another in succession.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for sub-dividing a continuous stream of goods into groups containing predetermined numbers of such goods, such apparatus operating with extreme reliability and with high precision, while still being relatively simplified in construction.

A characteristic of the present invention is that the counter is arranged at an earlier or upstream location with respect to the direction of movement of the stream of copies and adjustable means are provided which are located at a later or downstream location with regard to the stream of copies and respond to a control impulse or pulse for controlling a separation lever for sub-dividing the aforesaid copy stream into predetermined groups. The adjustable means delay the movement of the separation lever until the last copy of a group which is to be divided-out has passed a separation station or location, whereafter it arrests the separation lever at such separation location for the purpose of providing a break or interval in the stream of copies and permits such separation lever to again return back into its starting position after releasing the stream of copies. Advantageously, a plurality of continuously meshing gears driven by a drive motor are connected via slipping clutches with switch arms and the drive wheels'or equivalent drive mechanism for the separation lever. For example, rotary or swivel levers are provided for locking and releasing the switch arms. The physical structure can be executed such that the switch arms are adjustably arranged with regard to their angular position upon their associated shaft. A number of the switch arms and also the separation lever can be constructed as double-arm levers equipped with two ends staggered from one another through 180.

An illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention is constructed such that the counter delivers a control pulse to an electromagnet which actuates a locking bar for a switch arm. As a result, control of the separation lever takes place in accordance with the movement of 3,3l3,22l Patented Apr. 11, I967 switch arms which lock or block the separation lever after having reached the separation location due to abutting of a switch arm against a rotary or swivel lever, with release of the locking action taking place by the abutting of another switch arm against a swivel or rotary lever. Furthermore, there exists the possibility of moving the stream of step-like stacked newspapers or other goods by means of suitable conveyor bands or transport means driven with constant or continuous speed.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of an embodiment of inventive apparatus for the sub-division of a stream of continuous copies of folded newspapers, periodicals or the like successively following one another;

FIGURE 2 illustrates the apparatus of FIGURE 1 in operating condition for separating or sub-dividing the stream of copies:

FIGURE 3 illustrates the apparatus of FIGURE 1 after having completed division of the stream of copies; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURES 1 to 3, and which for convenience of illustration only schematically has depicted therein the switch arms.

As shown in the drawings, the apparatus according to the invention incorporates conveyor bands or transport means 5, 6 and 7 travelling over respective rollers 1, 2 and 3, and 4 (only a single roller is visible for conveyors 5 and 7), and upon which commodities, in the present instance assumed to be a strezun of copies ii of folded newspapers for example, stacked on top of one another in step-like manner, are continuously moved in the direction of the arrow 9. Each conveyor 5, 6 and 7 can embody two pairs of spaced coaxial rollers, such as a first pair of rollers 2 and a second pair of rollers 3 when considering conveyor 6, with only the forwardmost rollers of each pair being visible in the drawing. Furthermore, a band, such as member 6a, extends over the forwardmost rollers 2, 3 and a further spaced band (not shown) over the rearwardmost rollers. Due to such physical construction there is provided a space between these band members into which a double-arm separation lever 23 can move, as will be more fully explained as the description proceeds. Naturally, other constructions of the conveyor means, 5, 6, 7 are possible. The number of through-passing copies 8 is recorded by means of a suitable counter 159 located at an earlier or upstream location viewed with respect to the direction of movement of the aforesaid strem of copies 8. When the count determined by the counter 10 has reached a predetermined adjustable value a control impulse or pulse is delivered to an electromagnet 11.

The electromagnet i1 is spaced from the counter 11 and supported at a later or downstream location, viewed with respect to the direction of movement of the stream of copies 8, upon a plate member 12. This electromagnet 11 cooperates with a locking bar or bolt 14 having a locking nose 14a and loaded by a spring member 13, such locking bar 1 locking a revolving switch or control arm 15 seated upon a rotatable shaft 29, as best ascertained by reference to FIGURE 1. The locking bar 14 together with the switch arm 15 provide means for locking :or blockin the entire system, as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds. Moreover, a gear 17 is driven by a gear 16 of a suitable drive motor 16a, the aforesaid gear 17 meshing with a further gear 18, the latter of which, in turn, meshes with a gear 19. Asprocket wheel 26 is coaxially arranged with respect to the gear 18. Such sprocket wheel 20 drives a sprocket wheel 22 through the agency of a sprocket chain 21 and thereby also drives the commodity separation of division lever 23.

As best seen by referring to FIGURE 4, the gears 17, 18 and 19 are operatively connected via conventional slip couplings 24, 25 and 26 respectively, with shafts 27, 28 and 29 respectively, carrying revolving switch or control arms. More specificially, and as schematically represented in FIGURE 4, the shaft 29 carries the switch arms 15, 31, 34 and 38 which are adjustable in angular position thereon for reasons to be explained, the shaft 28 carries the switch arms 33, 35 and 36, and the shaft 27 the switch arm 40. The particular function performed by these various switch arms and their cooperation with one another will be explained hereinafter. It is to be appreciated that while the gears 17, 18 and 19 driven by the drive motor 16 continuously revolve, the sprocket wheel 20 and there-with the separation lever 23 cannot be placed into rotary motion so long as the shafts 27, 28 and 29 are locked, that is, during such time as the locking bar 14 engages with the swivel arm 15 to prevent rotation of the latter.

It is assumed that the number of copies 8 correspond ing to a group to be divided-out has passed the counter 10 and the electromagnet 11 has received a control pulse. Due to the excitation of the electromagnet 11 the locking bar 14 is rocked in counter-clockwise direction and is released from its locking action with the associated switch or control arm 15. The thus released switch arm 15 can now revolve clockwise in the direction of the arrow 30, whereby also the other switch or control arms 31, 34 and 38 seated upon the shaft 29 can partake in this movement.

After undergoing a particular magnitude of rotational movement the switch arm 31 abuts against a springbiased rotary or swivel lever 32 which up to now has blocked the switch or control arm 33 of the shaft 28. The swivel lever 32 and cooperating switch arm 33 constitute a means for directly blocking or locking the separation lever 23, whereas the switch arm 31 and swivel lever 32 constitute means for releasing the locking action imposed upon such separation lever 23. The release of such locking action results in movement of the sprocket wheel 20 seated upon the shaft 28 which then entrains the sprocket wheel 22 via the sprocket chain 21. During such movement the commodity separation lever 23 moves from the reset position, shown in FIGURE 1, into the position depicted in FIGURE 2 at the separation location A at which the stream of copies 8 is divided or separated, as shown.

The copies located in front of the separation position A, that is downstream with respect to their direction of movement correspond in number to a counted group. They continue to travel undisturbed until they are gathered together into a package by means of suitable special apparatus known in the art. During the above discussed movement of the separation lever 23, the switch arm 34 also abuts against the switch arm 35 of the shaft 28 and thereby accelerates the movement of the swiveling separation arm 23. Hence, switch arms 34 and 35 constitute a means for accelerating the separation lever 23. The arresting or stopping of this separation lever 23 at the separation location or position A results from abut ting of the switch arm 36 seated upon shaft 28 against a spring-biased rotary or swivel level 37, as best shown in FIGURE 2. Thus, switch arm 36 and swivel lever 37 can conveniently be considered to constitute means for arresting the separation lever 23 at separation location A.

The described apparatus has the purpose of delaying the separation lever 23 in its movement after the arrival of a control pulse in such a manner that it arrives at the separation location or position A exactly at that period of time in which the last copy 8a (FIGURE 2) of the counted group has passed this separation location.

After a given interval which guarantees for a suflicient distancing or spacing of the divided-out group of commodities, the arresting action of the separation lever 23 at separation location A is released, to thereby render possible further movement of the banked or dammed-up stream of copies 8. This occurs by means of the switch arm 38 revolving upon the shaft 29 and which displaces a spring-biased rotary lever 39 from its locking position with regard to the switch arm 40, whereby switch arm 40 moves the rotary lever 37 in such a manner that the abutting switch arm 36 is released and the separation lever 23 leaves the separation position, as best seen in FIGURE 3. Thus, switch arms 38 and 40 together with swivel lever 39 constitute means for releasing the arresting action of the separation lever 23 at separation location A, so that such lever 23 can now continue to rotate back into its starting position.

The separation lever 23 is advantageously constructed as a double-arm lever possessing two diametrically opposed ends 23a, 23b (FIGURE 1) olfset by The further movement of the separation lever 23 is stopped as soon as the free end 15a of the switch arm 15 engages with the nose 14a of the locking bar 14. As a result, the preparatory or starting position of the separation lever 23 depicted in FIGURE .1 is again attained. After a re-newed control impulse or pulse the described operation repeats itself, whereby only the other end of the switch arms 33, 35, 36 and 40 constructed as double-arm levers come into operation, such ends conveniently being designated by reference characters 33', 35' 36 and 40 respectively (see FIGURE 1).

A requirement for the control of the installation is that the movement of the conveyor means 5, 6 and 7 and the gears 17, 18 and 19 and the switch arms 15, 31, 34 and 38 respectively, occurs synchronously. This is achieved in that, drive motor 16a drives the gears 17, 18 and 19 as well as also the conveyor means 5, 6 and 7. During such time as the last copy of a group travels past the counter 10 and triggers the control pulse the switch arms 15, 31, 34 and 38 seated upon shaft 29 are entrained by the rotating gear 19. As a result, the last copy of the group arrives at the separation location A at the same time as the separation lever 23. The delay in time in which the separation lever 23 after arrival of the control pulse must be delayed is thereby determined by the angular difference between the switch arms 15 and 31. For a different spacing of the counter 10 from the separation location this angular difference can be changed by positionally adjusting these switch arms 15, 31 as well as the switch arms 34, 38.

The same control can also be used for still other purposes. In so doing, there is associated therewith, for example, the stacking of a number of commodities or copies on top of one another and the ejection of the completed package.

While there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for dividing into counted groups a stream of commodities continuously following one another in succession, said apparatus comprising a separation lever mounted for displacement between a starting position and a separation position, said lever in the latter position being inserted into the path of the stream of commodities to interrupt passage of the arriving commodities and to permit continued passage of a divided number of commodities constituting a counted group, counter means for counting the commodities in said stream and upon having reached a count corresponding to a given number of commodities defining a group delivering a control pulse, said counter means being arranged upstream of the separation lever with respect to the direction of movement of the stream of commodities, adjustable means responsive to said control pulse for operating said separation lever, said adjustable means being disposed downstream of the counter means with respect to the direction of movement of said stream of commodities, said adjustable means including means for delaying the operation of said separation lever until the last commodities of a counted group has passed the separation position so that the separation lever upon attaining said separation will arrest the first commodity following said counted group, means for arresting the separation lever in the separation position in order to provide an interval between the counted group and the successively following stream of commodities, and means for releasing the arresting action of said separation lever to permit the latter to return to its starting position.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a plurality of continuously interengaging gear means, drive means for driving said gear means, slip coupling means for operatively connecting said driven gear means with said adjustable means operating said separation lever.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said delaying means, said arresting means and said releasing means incorporate switch arm means and associated cooperating swivel lever means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said switch arm means of said arresting means and said releasing means comprise respective switch arm members having a pair of oppositely directed arms spaced from one another through an angle of approximately 180.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said delaying means comprises first switch arm means and cooperating swivel lever means for imposing a direct locking action upon said separation lever, second switch arm means operable upon said swivel lever means for releasing said direct locking action imposed upon said separation lever.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said adjustable means includes means for accelerating said separation lever in the direction of said separation position.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said accelerating means includes a switch a-rm member having a pair of arms displaced through approximately 180 with respect to one another.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including an electromagnet operatively connected with said counter means, a locking bar operated by said electromagnet, and a swivel arm cooperating with said locking ba-r, said swivel arm and locking bar constituting means for locking the entire system.

'9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a shaft member, a first swivel arm adapted to cooperate with a locking bar, a second swivel arm for releasing a direct locking action imposed upon said separation lever, 21 third swivel arm for accelerating said separation lever, and a fourth swivel arm for initiating release of the arresting action of said separation lever, said first, second, third and fourth swivel arms being mounted upon said shaft member and being adjustably angularly positionable thereon.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said separation lever is controlled in accordance with the movement of said first, second, third and fourth swivel arms.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said arresting means comprises a double-arm switch arm and a cooperating swivel lever.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said releasing means includes a first switch arm, a swivel lever and a double-arm switch arm lockable by said last-mentioned swivel lever and releasable upon contact of said first switch arm with said last-mentioned swivel lever.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said separation lever is a double-arm lever including diametrically opposed arms.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including constant speed driven conveyor means for continuously advancing the individual commodities stacked thereon in step-like formation.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including chaindrive means for driving said separation lever.

16. Apparatus for dividing into counted groups a stream of commodities continuously following one another in succession, said apparatus comprising separation lever means mounted for displacement between a starting position, and a separation position, said separation lever means in said separation position dividing the stream of commodities into counted groups, counter means for counting the number of commodities in said stream and upon having reached a count corresponding to a given number of copies defining a group delivering a control pulse, said counter means being arranged upstream of the lever means with respect to the direction of movement of the stream of commodities, means responsive to said control pulse for operating said separation lever means, the latter said means being disposed downstream of the counter means with respect to the direction of movement of said stream of commodities, said latter means including means for delaying said separation lever means until the last commodity of a counted group has passed the separation position so that the separation lever means upon attaining the separation position will arrest the first commodity following said group while permitting continued passage of the commodities of said group, means for arresting the separation lever means in the separation position in order to provide an interval between the counted group and the successively following stream of commodities, and means for releasing the arresting action of said separation lever means to permit the latter to return to its starting position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,117,500 1/1964 Donahue et al. 93-93 3,212,414 10/1965 Kura-tile 93-933 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING INTO COUNTED GROUPS A STREAM OF COMMODITIES CONTINUOUSLY FOLLOWING ONE ANOTHER IN SUCCESSION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A SEPARATION LEVER MOUNTED FOR DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN A STARTING POSITION AND A SEPARATION POSITION, SAID LEVER IN THE LATTER POSITION BEING INSERTED INTO THE PATH OF THE STREAM OF COMMODITIES TO INTERRUPT PASSAGE OF THE ARRIVING COMMODITIES AND TO PERMIT CONTINUED PASSAGE OF A DIVIDED NUMBER OF COMMODITIES CONSTITUTING A COUNTED GROUP, COUNTER MEANS FOR COUNTING THE COMMODITIES IN SAID STREAM AND UPON HAVING REACHED A COUNT CORRESPONDING TO A GIVEN NUMBER OF COMMODITIES DEFINING A GROUP DELIVERING A CONTROL PULSE, SAID COUNTER MEANS BEING ARRANGED UPSTREAM OF THE SEPARATION LEVER WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE STREAM OF COMMODITIES, ADJUSTABLE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID CONTROL PULSE FOR OPERATING SAID SEPARATION LEVER, SAID ADJUSTABLE MEANS BEING DISPOSED DOWNSTREAM OF THE COUNTER MEANS WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID STREAM OF COMMODITIES, SAID ADJUSTABLE MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR DELAYING THE OPERATION OF SAID SEPARATION LEVER UNTIL THE LAST COMMODITIES OF A COUNTED GROUP HAS PASSED THE SEPARATION POSITION SO THAT THE SEPARATION LEVER UPON ATTAINING SAID SEPARATION WILL ARREST THE FIRST COMMODITY FOLLOWING SAID COUNTED GROUP, MEANS FOR ARRESTING THE SEPARATION LEVER IN THE SEPARATION POSITION IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN INTERVAL BETWEEN THE COUNTED GROUP AND THE SUCCESSIVELY FOLLOWING STREAM OF COMMODITIES, AND MEANS FOR RELEASING THE ARRESTING ACTION OF SAID SEPARATION LEVER TO PERMIT THE LATTER TO RETURN TO ITS STARTING POSITION. 